A skin biopsy is a well known medical procedure for diagnosing skin disorders. The usual procedure is to anesthetize the biopsy site, excise a small cylindrical specimen for analysis at a pathology laboratory and to repair the biopsy site with sutures or butterfly bandages.
The disadvantages with the usual procedure is that it requires the use of several medical devices, requires hemostasis and repair of the biopsy site, is time consuming, exposes medical personnel to infection, and sometimes damages the biopsy specimen because of excessive handling. Another disadvantage is that there is a likelihood of inducing excessive scar tissue at the biopsy site with sutures or butterfly bandages. Another disadvantage is that some patients suffer anxiety during suturing of wounds.
In our co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/056,399, a device and method were disclosed for performing a skin biopsy using an open cell surgical sponge for controlling bleeding and repairing the biopsy site. The present invention is a further development in our device and method.